“When I first came to Korea, it is true that I came with an ‘easy mind’ a little bit.”
Jesse Lingard (32, FC Seoul) made a frank confession about his mindset when he headed to the K-League early this year. Although he has never experienced the K-League in person, he still had confidence that it will not be difficult to adapt to it. It was also a natural confidence as he was a former member of the England national team who had been on the English Premier League for a long time.
However, the K-League’s hands-on experience was formidable. “I never thought it would be this tough and challenging,” Lingard said at a media day held at GS Champions Park in Guri on Sunday. “I didn’t expect an atmosphere where I run, fight, and work hard.” He came to Korea relatively lightheartedly, but it was not easy for him to perform in the K-League as he had firsthand experience.
In particular, there was a “turning point” that Lingard was able to quickly manage. It was an open criticism from Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong. After the home game against Jeju United in March, Kim publicly criticized Lingard, saying, “I don’t think a player who doesn’t play for a few minutes is a player if he doesn’t even fight and doesn’t play well, and if he can’t play for 90 minutes, he’s not a player. If you think you’re going to play soccer based on your name, shouldn’t you take a retired player?” 먹튀검증
“Coach Kim Ki-dong’s strong public criticism gave me a chance to come to my senses,” Lingard said with a smile. “Since then, I have adapted to the tempo and style as I continued to participate in matches. Now, I think I have definitely adjusted to the K-League style.” Having completed his actual adaptation, Lingard has played in 23 matches, scoring five goals and two assists. He has emerged as a key resource for Seoul by displaying not only attack points but also leadership in leading players both inside and outside the ground.
Beyond adapting, Lingard’s own ceaseless efforts have also been added. Both Kim Ki-dong and Ki Sung-yueng, the team’s captain, are even thumbs up. Although they are so-called “superstars” with the best name values in K-League history, Kim and Ki have a common view that their performances on the training ground or on the ground are far from easygoing that Lingard had for the first time.
“(Lyngaard) is a superstar. In fact, the current environment is in an insanely bad situation for a player who used to fly his private jet when he was with Manchester United. Nonetheless, he seems to have adapted well to life in Korea and become a Korean now. “I am committed to showing better performances at the training ground or in the stadium than Korean players. It is a great help to my team,” Kim said in compliments.
Ki Sung-yueng also smiled, saying, “The relationship with the players is so good and adaptable. I think that’s where the skills started to appear because basically what you have is not going anywhere,” adding, “The important thing is that there are scenes where you don’t put out individuals for the team, but rather sacrifice themselves. Since he is such a famous player, it would not have been easy to put himself down, but I want to rate him very highly in that regard. I was grateful for his dedication to the current team, regardless of what he was like in the past.”
When asked about the goal, it is in the same vein as coach Kim and Ki Sung-yueng’s praise that only Seoul’s performance and fans are mentioned instead of attacking points or returning to Europe. Seoul, which reached the Final A (top split) in five years, is competing for its first Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) berth since 2020, and Lingard is full of determination to win the ACL berth for fans.
“I am looking forward to the next three games with full of confidence. I have nothing to lose. My main goal is to win a berth in the ACL,” Lingard said. “Many fans welcomed me at the airport when we first arrived in Korea, and more than 50,000 spectators came to cheer for me at the first home game. I was very impressed by the huge number of fans who came to see us during the away game. I was able to come here thanks to the huge support from the fans. I really want to advance to the ACL, even for the sake of my fans.”
